A cluster system includes two or multiple devices. These devices work together in a same group, so as to collaboratively implement a task. Therefore, the cluster system has a capability of a sum of capabilities of the multiple devices; and the multiple devices in the cluster system may be managed and maintained as one device, simplifying operations.
Generally, a main control board is configured for each device in the cluster system, and the main control board is also referred to as a super engine, or a routing processing board, or a main control processing unit. When devices are working normally, running statuses of a line card board and a switched fabric board inside each device are supervised by the main control board, and communication between line card boards in different devices also needs to be controlled by the main control board in each device. Generally, for consideration of reliability, each device includes at least two main control boards, so that when one main control board is faulty, the other main control board takes over work of the one main control board.
However, in the foregoing clustering implementation process, at least one main control board needs to be disposed in each device in a cluster system, which makes the cluster system complex.